Industrial machine tools such as numerically controlled milling machines and the like have been provided with adjustable stages, chucks, and other devices for holding a work piece with respect to a working tool such as a drill press, milling head, band saw, or the like. Typically, such devices hold the work piece in place while the working tool itself moves with respect to the work piece. More sophisticated machinery also permits the automatic feeding of material stock (e.g., bar stock) to the working tool for placement with respect thereto. Such systems employ feedback mechanisms to assure that the working material is actually in place, and is properly aligned with the working tool. Homeowners utilizing woodworking tools such as table saws, miter saws (compound, sliding) radial arm saws, and the like cannot be provided with such automated mechanisms in a cost effective manner. Thus, the home hobbyist, cabinet maker or the like must necessarily measure and mark the work piece to be cut at a desired dimension and then proceed by manually placing the work piece with respect to the cutting blade or the like. As a consequence, woodworkers have adopted the motto, “measure twice, cut once.” Thus, it is acknowledged that measuring a proper cutting dimension on a work piece is a source of error for a home craftsman utilizing a cutting tool which does not have automatic means for positioning the work piece with respect to the cutting tool or vice versa. In recognition of this disadvantage, power tool manufacturers have for some time provided various saws (e.g., table saws) with manually positionable fences which can be set at a calibrated distance from a cutting tool, such as a saw blade. In this manner, once the fence has been set by the user, repeated cuts can be made at this dimension without the necessity of having to mark the work piece, and thus measure the cut in advance. Although devices such as rip fences, miter guides, and the like dramatically reduce cross-cut errors, the user must manually and carefully reset the fence for every different dimension cut. Unless the user has carefully worked out the various cut dimensions in advance, such as to organize the various work pieces (particularly with respect to standard dimension lumber) in a logical sequence, the manually adjustable fence may be repositioned numerous times with respect to the completion of a single project (e.g., a book case). This disadvantage is exacerbated when the various cut dimensions may not be known in advance during a planning stage. By way of example, a carpenter installing baseboard or crown molding in a home will arrive at the jobsite and by necessity take numerous wall and ceiling measurements, transfer these measurements to a work piece by marking and then make all the various cuts. If a standard conventional manual repetitive fence is used, a great deal of organizational forethought is necessary to minimize adjustment of the fence throughout completion of a typical job.
Therefore, a need exists for a repetitive cross-cut fence which minimizes the number of adjustments which are necessary for operation of the fence for a typical job.
A further need exists for a repetitive cross-cut fence which is easily adjustable for a variety of various cross-cut lengths while minimizing user error.
Yet another need exists for repetitive cross-cut fence which is easily readable and settable by a user.